


Love Again

by coffeegoose



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Canon Compliant, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Soulmates, They are so soft for each other, and like gon is whipped, and slight, flowery discriptions of killuas eyes, killua begins to open up more, nothing spicy just time line of them growing up, sorta??? theres slight hurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:27:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24514597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coffeegoose/pseuds/coffeegoose
Summary: At nine years old, Gon heard his first mention of soulmates. He’s a busy kid, running through the hills and oceans which make up Whale Island, and he doesn’t have many friends. Other than Aunt Mito, of course. As a little kid, there’s a lot of things to be intrigued about, but love isn’t necessarily one of them.
Relationships: Gon Freecs/Killua Zoldyck
Comments: 2
Kudos: 205





	Love Again

**Author's Note:**

> Fic title from Baekhyun's Delight album!
> 
> Happy birthday Meg! hope you enjoy this killugon fic!

At nine years old, Gon heard his first mention of soulmates. He’s a busy kid, running through the hills and oceans which make up Whale Island, and he doesn’t have many friends. Other than Aunt Mito, of course. As a little kid, there’s a lot of things to be intrigued about, but love isn’t necessarily one of them.

“Now, I don’t know why it sparked my mind but it did, so I’ll tell you.” Aunt Mito began. The air in the kitchen was awkward, and the counter cold beneath his legs as he sat on top of it. “Soulmates are something everyone has. Even me! Not everyone meets them in their lifetime, though.” she had paused, allowing Gon a chance to ask a question. He seized that opportunity.

“How do you know when someone _is_ your soulmate?”

“Well… at sixteen you get your match identifier. It’s different for everyone! For me, I can smell what someone’s favorite food coming off of them, and their soulmate matches. It’s odd, but most soulmate symbols are. Sometimes, they can be difficult to see.” Aunt Mito responded.

Gon, as uninterested in love as he may be at age nine, became curious about what his match might be. It’s a problem for future Gon.

**_________**

At age twelve, Gon thinks of soulmates again. It isn’t when he taps his thumb against his best friends, leaving home without knowing when he’ll return. It’s not when he boards a ship full of strangers, older men who threaten him for being so confident. It’s not even when he arrives to a new land, bustling with thousands of tourists and natives, any of which could be his possible soulmate. The moment he becomes reminded of this, is when he sees a tuffle of white hair from across the exam hall.

It’s a flurry of a thought, passing by so lightly that he hardly realizes he’s even thought something; the memory is there all the same. 

Gon’s heart rate accelerates, even by just a tad, at the sighting of this peak of light hair, the simple coincidence of looking over. Against the instincts he’s spent the entirety of his childhood developing, the ones saying “take your time, get to know someone first.”, he walks towards the hair. There’s a crowd of people, all of them fully grown and well versed in the art of blocking short children’s point of view, but eventually Gon pushes through to tap the shoulder of the boy standing before him.

He’s clearly young, around Gon’s age and height. He’s lean, clearly in good physical shape; the long sleeves obscure that just slightly, but by the frame of his shoulders and the build of his posture, Gon can tell he’s got a bit of hidden strength. The fraction of hair he saw from afar is even lighter up close--his hair is thick and coarse, standing in endless directions upon his head and is so white, it could appear as transparent. If Gon is honest with himself, he’d say it’s almost mesmerizing. What’s magical though, is the boy’s eyes. They’re electric, layered with sapphires and royal blues, making them seem like a well full of the unknown. And, if you were to drink from that well, you’d find something beyond beautiful.

“Hi! Why are you taking the exam?” the boy asks in response to the shoulder tap. He’s clearly guarded, but genuine interest betrays that by how close he is to Gon.

“My dad took it when he was my age, and I want to be just like him.”

“Oh cool! I have to admit I’m only taking this out of boredom.”

Gon laughs and so does the boy. He raises his arm, forearm available to be knocked in return, and he returns it, tapping it twice in a quick beat before sliding their hands together in a firm handshake right at eye level. Gon can’t place what it is, his social side wanting to finally make friends or maybe the universe drawing him in, but he can’t help but stick next to this kid. A slight horrifying moment hits Gon like a truck when he notices he didn’t ask the name of the boy. He’s about to ask, the words about to spill out of his mouth, when an alarm goes off. A man begins to explain the rules of the first stage for the exam, and Gon becomes sidetracked.

They start running.

It’s about midway, around fifty kilometers they’ve run so far, when Gon finally asks the boy’s name.

“Killua.” he says just slightly breathy, despite the distance they’ve gone so far.

“Gon!” 

After a moment, swallowing the spit thick with dehydration away, he asks Killua “Wanna race?”

And that’s how, after checking to make sure Leorio and Kurapika are doing alright, Gon finds himself sprinting another fifty kilometers. He’s not entirely out of breath because of how much he ran as a kid, but when he leaps across the finish line he asks the examiner with a slight huff in his voice who won. 

“You-- you tied.” the man says, slight curiosity and confusion marking his face. 

At twelve, Gon doesn’t think much about why that expression would be there.

He also doesn’t think much about anything throughout the entirety of the exam. Only a few things fill his mind; Leorio and Kurapika have become amazing friends to Gon, Hisoka is someone to be weary of, and Killua. Killua may be trained to stay hidden, shadows surrounding him and his aura quiet among the others, but Gon can’t help but notice him. There’s no explanation either. He even tells Killua as much, that he’s glad to be friends, glad they’ve got each other.

So when Gon passes the exam in the way he never wanted to, a forfeit of all things, and Killua doesn’t get to have his own exam card, it crushes him. He thinks it crushes Killua just a little too. He might not have wanted to be a Hunter when their adventure first started, but Gon could see it in his eyes, the way their journey had become a part of them and their friendship. He could feel it in the brush of their shoulders when they rested next to each other on the futons after a long day’s challenge. Killua failing the exam is a punch to the gut, but what takes Gon’s breath away is the news that Killua was forced to go home. Forced back into the life he was trying to escape; the life of an assassin. Kurapika and Leorio divulged the entire story, hurt to see their friend in such a harmful environment again.

Getting back Killua is like retrieving the final puzzle piece to Gon’s soul. They breathe in sync again, and fall into step. Unconditional trust builds them their map and they’re going to travel it together. York New, Whale Island, Heavens Arena, NGL, and so many more locations busy them, keeping their hearts close to one another. Gon thinks, in a way he may not ever be able to explain, he will always have a love for Killua; his best friend.

**_________**

At age sixteen, Gon is traveling the world. 

Kite’s team looked to him, hurt and broken after the tragedy of NGL, asking him to continue on with them. He couldn’t say no. Kite, in a quick amount of time, had grown to be a strong mentor and brother to Gon, something he hasn’t had before. Something he desperately craved.

He can’t fully understand why they want him to lead, he isn’t extremely knowledgeable about ecology and animals and bugs, but he took the position anyways, and can now call them all his family.

Gon keeps in regular contact with his friends, Leorio and Kurapika especially, and Killua on occasion. Obviously, the slight ache in his chest is prevalent and constant. Those days and those people gave Gon so much hope and care and love, there’s no way he’d ever be able to replace that. He just _misses_ it. Misses Killua.

Why they went their separate ways, Gon doesn’t know. It’s infuriating and heart shattering and just… confusing. How did he let Killua slip through his fingers? Like water out of a container, like tears brimming over swollen eyes. And it isn’t like they’re out of contact, still friends who call and text, but there’s a hole in the center and they have to dance around it. Gon wants it back. _Needs_ him back. 

This is how he finds himself sitting on the edge of his bed at 11pm. The team is taking a month for recovery, they just finished up a huge expedition in the North and they all could use some family and healing time, so Gon is currently back at his apartment in York New. There’s not much room, a single bathroom and an open room with the front door leading into the kitchen, then the living room and bedroom space. It’s a couch bed that he unfolds at night so there’s no coffee table to center the room. A few pictures of the team, Aunt Mito, and his friends are placed around the apartment, reminding him how this job has made Gon who he is today. For a while, Gon thought about moving back to Whale Island to help Aunt Mito out, he’d do anything for her, but a majority of his team lives in the city and the main office is here as well. There was just no logic into going back home.

As his phone lets out a few rings, he shifts his weight nervously causing the bed to creak beneath his weight. The line crackles as it connects and there’s a gentle “Hello?”. An audible swallow, one full of pain… and longing.

“Hey, uh-- hey Kill. I’m in York New again, off for the next month and I just,” _I just need to stop being so nervous_ he thinks. Deep breath, he’s a sociable guy, he can do this. “Do you want to meet up down in the market? Maybe grab some lunch?”

“Uh, yeah… yeah I’d like that.” a quick clear of the throat, “I’ve missed you, you know?”

“I miss you too, it’ll be good to see you again. Tomorrow at Noon sound good?”

“Sure, see you then.”

His mind frees up just a bit more, and he rests his shoulders a some. It still takes a long while for him to fall asleep, but he can’t remember a time he slept this well. 

York New is a busy city with busy people, and even in the past year Gon has spent here, it has picked up speed. He’s about fifteen minutes early, not ‘cause of nerves per se, but there’s a good Hunter’s sense of time drilled into him as if it’s muscle memory. 

Four years have passed since Gon first met Killua, but he’ll be damned if he can’t recognize that white tuft of hair from anywhere. Gon raises his hand, hopefully above the heads of the crow (he is still rather short, but he’s still growing, he isn’t too worried), and calls out for Killua. Gon can just feel the lopsided smile form on his lips. The moment he sees Killua turn around, eyes widening with recognition and excitement, is the moment Gon grins. He really has missed killua so long.

Just like so many years ago, how after every battle and every victory or simple hello, they raise their arms in an invitation to knock them together. An instant touch, one that’s happened thousands of times between the two of them, sparks something entirely new. A future plays before Gon’s eyes, almost as if he has suddenly been placed within a movie theatre, and watches images of he and Killua. Ones of a first kiss where they aren’t much older than they are now, ones of first _I love you_ ’s whispered as they fall asleep, ones of matching silver bands tied to leather around their necks, and ones where he and Killua lace hands, much older in years, and walk across Whale Island up to the house they share. By the look on Killua’s face, he guesses Killua has seen the same thing. 

“You’re my soulmate…” Gon mumbles a little dumbly.

“And you’re mine…”

Gon realizes, a little abruptly, why he has always been so drawn to Killua. Why his emotions about him have always been so charged. It makes sense. It also makes him feel a little childish for not realizing why he felt that way. Now that they’re both sixteen it’s only logical their soulmate identifiers would show up. Gon knows, and Killua to, though he doesn’t know how, that these images are shown as an _option_ to pursue, not an end-all-be-all.

Killua speaks up first once the initial shock fades “Listen, Gon. I’m not going to force anything upon you. But I’m gonna be honest, I’m willing to reconnect. I want to reconnect, and see where this goes. You’ve gotta know after all these years that I still care for you.”

Gon can tell how much Killua has grown over the years, how he’s willing to speak his mind, though he is still quite awkward about it, fidgeting with the straps of his jacket. It makes him a little giddy at the idea of Killua trying to work harder on opening up, probably saying “It’s whatever” or “No need to rush” and being generally awkward. He snaps out of his head remembering he should reply.

“I want that too. I’ve missed being with you. You-- you make my life a little more enjoyable. I need that again. We can travel together, I’ve got a good team and they’d like you. Don’t say no either cause I _know_ you’re jobless right now.”

Together, they bust out laughing, bathing in the rekindling familiarity.

**_________**

Gon is twenty-five when he thinks about soulmates. Not exactly because he’s curious about his, but because he’s devotedly in love with his, and because his is currently down on one knee, holding a familiar looking silver band. He’s thought about soulmates often, because Gon considers himself lucky for having such an amazing one. Gon is beyond thankful he and Killua tried again; restarted their friendship and opened their hearts to allow for more than that. 

Gon stares down at Killua, looking into those crystal clear eyes, slightly blocked by hair that’s growing long again, saying “Yes” before Killua can properly ask. He pulls him off the ground, hugging Killua tightly against his chest, feeling the vibrations of laughter. Kill’s feet don’t even reach the ground.

Gon kisses his soulmate, the boy he first fell in love with so long ago “I love you.” he says breaking for air.

“I love you too.”

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> woohoo first ever soulmate au!!!
> 
> if any of yall know me, Im pretty much only an omgcp author so I had a fun challenge writing this!
> 
> Meg, you are you supportive and so strong and Im very glad to know you. I hope you have an amazing birthday!


End file.
